Oil conditioner



April. 4, 1944.

c. AxwlNsLow ET AL.

OIL CONDITIONER Filed May 26, 19.41

FEL

INVENTOR` ATTORNEY rUNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC OIL CONDITIONER Charles A. Winslow and Laurence L. Moore, Oakland, Calif., assignors to Winslow Engineering Co., Oakland, Calif., a partnership consisting of Charles A. Winslow, Catherine B. Winslow, Laurence L. Moore, and William G. Nostrand Application May 26, 1941, Serial No. 395,224

\. Claims.

The present invention relates to a novel means of purifying lubricants; and one of its principal objects is the provision of improved andeilicient oil conditioning and purifying apparatus for engines and like machines. More particularly, it relates to an oil conditioning apparatus of simple and compact construction, `which is adapted to employ a removable filter element in cartridge form, for purifying lubricants and capable, in operation, of giving the optimum results in a minimum of time.

The present invention is a continuation of our copending application Serial Number 258,653, led February 27, 1939, now Patent No. 2,314,640, issued March 23, 1943.

We employ a cartridge Ysuch as is disclosed in said earliervapplication since it provides a construction which permits a maximum iiow rate through the element for the purpose of bringing the uid to be ltered and processed into contact with the' materials in the element for ythe purpose of changinglthe nature of deleterious substances contained in the lubricating oil, fuel oil or other iiuids to be reconditioned and cleaned.

Fig. 4 shows ready removability of the cartridge on unscrewing the top of the casing.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of a lter cartridge, in section, before placing in the conditioner casing.

Referring particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, the lter element or cartridge A here employed consists essentially of a cylindrical body filled with suitable filtering material, such as cotton waste and wood shavings, encased in an envelope of rtwo-ply fabric 2 and having a central opening 3 which is expanded in the manner shown by a cylindrical coil spring 4 and constructed and assembled according to the teachings of our said application Serial Number 258,653, now Patent No. 2,314,640, issued March 23, 1943.

This cartridge is adapted to fit loosely into a cylindrical casing 5, having a cover 6 and provided with a central, vertical standpipe 1, suitablysecured in the bottom of the casing and extending to within a short distance of the top of the casing.

The standpipe l has the oil ports 8 through which the filtered and reconditioned oil may find outlet. The lower end of the standpipe l is More particularly the invention resides in`the SllfIOUhdBd by a COiled ejector Spring 9, which provision of a novel casing to house the above Seats on thebottom of the casing. A plate or porous flexible element, said housing being pref- Washer I0 rests on the spring 9 and the cartridge,

, eramy madeof Cyiindricai form with a fluid mier in turn, rests on the plate.

at 0r near the bottom and a Central outlet ter- The inlet for the fouled oil to be reconditioned minating at 0r near the bottom; e, cent1-e1 outlet 30 is at II into a sump I2 in the bottom of the being preferably of tubular form attached to the 035mg- AS a matter 0f fact, this Sump extends bottom of the casing, said tubular outlet being upwardly all around the cartridge, because in preferably provided with a plurauty of latere] our machine the Whole filtration action takes holes in its upper portion and a threaded seoplace completely around the cartridge and ra.. tion at its upper extremity. A cover for the eesdially inward to the central opening or chamber ing4 is provided with a central threaded extension 0f the Cartridge. thence through the ports 8 which includes a conical plug attached thereto. mi() the Standplpe 7, and thence t0 any desired Said threaded extension and plug are adapted to Polnt 0f reuSeenter the upper end of the porous iltering ele- 40 The @over 5 has @.hanle 6 QY ees@ 0f malhpment and engage the upper end of the cent1-a1 ulatlon. The cartridge 1s maintained forcibly outlet tube. It is understoodV that the threaded in Position in the casing and against the exextension and conical plug are adapted to hold PanSiVe aCtOn 0f the elector spring 9 `onlyby the element t0 the cover when said cover is rethe COVer 5- The COVeI' 6 Carries arod I3 Which moved, thus forming an automatic means of projects downwardly HID'O the Caslhg and 1S withdrawing and ejecting the element from the threaded t0 engage the correspondingly threaded casing when the cover is removed. upper end of the standpipe l. The cover is held Having reference to the accompanying drawin place by turning the handle 5 te Screw the ing: Vrod into the tube l; a tight'seal being formed A Fig. 1 is a vertical, central section of our oil 50 between the cover and casing by a suitable conditioning apparatus. gasket 5a.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the oil conditioner Intermediate the cover and the threaded end assembled and ready for installation. portion of the rod I3 is a conical protuberance Fig. 3is a horizontal section on the line Ill- III I4 which is adapted, when the rod is inserted of Fig. 1. 55 into the central bore of a cartridge, to engage behind'an inwardly formed annular ledge or constricted shoulder I which is formed at each end of a cartridge. In other words, these cartridges are symmetrical and either end is adapted to nt this plug on the cover formed by rod I3 and cone I4, and to be pushed on over the cone le which is preferably threaded and adjustable on the rod I3. i

The result is that when a cartridge, cover and plug are assembled in the manner described they operate as a unit when being placed in position in and on the casing and on removal from the casing.

Thus it is apparent that the cover is provided with special means to engag the core of the cartridge so that to remove or change the cartridge the latter can be withdrawn positively from the core on the removal of the cover, as shown in Fig. 4.

The spring 9 in'. the casing insures an even upward pressure on the washer I0 and thereby upon the cartridge element A. The stili central coil spring 4 of the cartridge resists any tendency of the action of' the lighter spring 9 to shorten the length of the cartridge., Any shortening of the cartridge would reduce the effective filtering peripheral area of the cartridge.

On unserewng the cover, the spring 9, which has been maintained under compression, immediately kicks the cartridge upward so that its removal is facilitated. By having the cartridge coupled to the cover by means of the plug and protuberant cone-shaped ange I4 it is never necessary manually to handle the very dirty sludge-coated used cartridge. This is an important feature of the invention as it eliminates the worst problem of getting out a used element from a deep shell. s ,Y In the past it has been common practice to be compelled to use packing hooks, Screwdrivers, pliers, etc., to get a dirty used element out of some types 0f oil filters, particularly those that have -used a porous fabric covering which sealed on the casing and became plugged tightly into the casing with gummy sludge. When our lter element is housed in our novel casing, as herein illustrated, it is always clear of the shell and also free of sludge during its normal life.

With the cover projection I3, with its enlargement I4, plugged into the cartridge, the latter on unscrewing of the projection I3 from the tube 1, by turning the cover handle 6', will be pushed upwardly above the shell and come out easily and without the hands of the operator `coming in contact with the'sludge-covered cartridge.

What we claim is:

1. The combination in an oil conditioning apparatus, of a cylindrical casing with a removable cover, a central perforated outlet tube in the casin'g and extending upwardly and centrally therein, said tube closed at one end, a hollow, tubular purifying cartridge surrounding the tube and out of contact therewith except at the lower end where it is in sealing contact with the tube to prevent oil from by-passing the cartridge, said cartridge being of substantially less diameter than the casing so as to leave an annular oil space entirely around the cartridge, an oil inlet into said annular oil space, a coil spring surrounding the outlet pipe and seated on the bottom of the casing, a washer resting on said spring and the cartridge seating on said washer and against the cover t) prevent by-passage of the cartridge at its upper end, said spring being on compression when the cover is in place on the casing, means for holding the cover in place on the casing, and

means carried by said last named means engaging the cartridge thereby coupling the cartridge and the cover so that the cover and the cartridge may be removed from the casing as a unit.

2. In combination, an oil purifying device having a casing with an inlet, a removable cover, a central perforated outlet tube closed at one end, a hollow tubular fiexible purifying cartridge element surrounding the central outlet tube, said purifying element containing constricting means at each end, said constricting means at the lower end of the cartridge adapted to embrace the tube and prevent oil from by-passing the element, said cartridge bearing against the cover to prevent by-passing of the cartridge at its upper end, meansto hold the cover in place on the jeasing, and means carried by said last named means engaging the interior of a constricted end of the element thereby coupling said element and said cover so that the element and cover may be removed from. the casing as a unit.

3. In a lubricant purifier, a casing with an inlet and an outlet, a perforated centrally disposed outlet tube within the casing, a removable cover for the casing, a porous fabric-covered tubular purifying element-surrounding the outlet tube and circumferentially spaced from the casing, means for spacing the element from the central tube, means at one end of the purifying element engaging the tube to prevent oil from by-passing the element, the cartridge bearing against the cover to prevent by-passing of the cartridge at its upper end, and means carried by the cover engaging the tube to hold the cover in place and having a coupling member carried ley-said last mentioned means engaging the adjacent end of the element thereby coupling the cover and the element so that the cover and the element may be removed from the casing as a unit.

.4. The combination in an oil conditioning apparatus, of a cylindrical casing with an inlet, a removable cover, a central outlet tube in the casing and extending upwardly and centrally therein, a filtering cartridge surrounding the outlet tube and spaced from the casing wall, means on the cartridge engaging the tube to prevent oil on entering the casing from by-passing the cartridge, a plug on the cover having a screw connection with the tube to secure the cover in closed position, and means on the plug engaging the cartridge to couple the cartridge to the plug, whereby, on the detachment of the plug from the tube, the cartridge will be removed as a unit with the cover.

5. The combination in an oil conditioning apparatus, of a casing with an inlet, a removable cover, an outlet tube centrally disposed within the casing, a filtering cartridge surrounding the outlet tube and spaced from the casing, means on the cartridge engaging the tube to prevent oil on entering the casing from by-passing the cartridge, said cover having a screw member en-n gaging the tube to secure the cover in closed position, and a threaded conical member carried by the screw member and telescoping in interlocked position with the cartridge so that when the cover is removed it automatically withdraws the cartridge from the casing.

CHARLES A. WlNSLOW. LAURENCE L. MOORE. 

